Cafe Sebastienne at the Kemper - Kansas City

[ulterior epicure]

I rarely (and hesitate here) pass such definitive judgment on a restaurant based on only two visits. But, when both visits are as spectacularly solid as my visits to Cafe Sebastienne at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, I happily give credit where I think it is due.

I had dinner there this past weekend (they only serve dinners on Friday and Saturday; lunch on all weekdays). Service was great and the food was simple, straightforward and very well prepared. To this day, the rack of lamb i had on my first visit is the standard by which I judge all lamb rib chops - that's a mighty serious deal coming from one who's favorite cut of meat is the lamb chop!

you can see my latest meal at flickr account.

cheers.

ulterior epicure.

Edited January 2, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[moosnsqrl]

I rarely (and hesitate here) pass such definitive judgment on a restaurant based on only two visits.  But, when both visits are as spectacularly solid as my visits to Cafe Sebastienne at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, I happily give credit where I think it is due. 

I had dinner there this past weekend (they only serve dinners on Friday and Saturday; lunch on all weekdays).  Service was great and the food was simple, straightforward and very well prepared.  To this day, the rack of lamb i had on my first visit is the standard by which I judge all lamb rib chops - that's a mighty serious deal coming from one who's favorite cut of meat is the lamb chop! 

you can see my latest meal at flickr account.

cheers.

ulterior epicure.

←

UE, you and I must be on opposite biorhythmic dining cycles or something. My last visit there was pretty disappointing, both in terms of food and service. I felt particularly bad as I subjected another Society member (joiei, visiting from Tulsa) to a very lackluster meal and lamented throughout that we had diverted from the plan to return to Room 39.

It's funny that we seem to have 180-degree different experiences at the same places. I can't decide if we should try dining together or avoid one another at all cost. Either way it seems one of us would have a good meal and the other not-so-much.

[ulterior epicure]

UE, you and I must be on opposite biorhythmic dining cycles or something.  My last visit there was pretty disappointing, both in terms of food and service.  I felt particularly bad as I subjected another Society member (joiei, visiting from Tulsa) to a very lackluster meal and lamented throughout that we had diverted from the plan to return to Room 39.

It's funny that we seem to have 180-degree different experiences at the same places.  I can't decide if we should try dining together or avoid one another at all cost.  Either way it seems one of us would have a good meal and the other not-so-much. 

←

hmmm... that's too bad. can you be more specific about your disappointment(s)? again, i admit that my opinion is based only on two visits... and as my many visits to le fou frog have demonstrated - service/food/experience can vary from desperately sorry to good (not yet great). there are off-nights, and there are on-nights...

room 39? not familiar... elaborate (on whichever fora you deem appropriate) please?

u.e.

[ulterior epicure]

moosnsqrl.

i bet we could agree on a few restaurants: 40 sardines (3 visits), zin (2 visits) and bluestem (2 visits), i consider pretty solid...

u.e.

[moosnsqrl]

moosnsqrl.

i bet we could agree on a few restaurants: 40 sardines (3 visits), zin (2 visits) and bluestem (2 visits), i consider pretty solid...

u.e.

←

Oh, I don't think it's a matter of agreeing or disagreeing at all. It just seems like I hit some places when they're on their "A" game as do you, but we seem to hit 'em at the opposite times.

We had lunch on a Saturday, joiei had a spinach salad (trying to save himself for a sushi-fest later) and I had housemade ravioli (supposed to be pumpkin w/sage butter but as that was unavailable, it was funghi in a cream sauce). Salad was swimming in dressing, which is a pretty rookie error IMHO. My pasta was pretty gummy/gluey the sauce cloyingly rich beyond redemptior (maybe it was meant to be thinned with wine or somthing at service but no one told the line cook?). I ordered a glass of wine which hadn't yet arrived when the food did.

I had encouraged my guest to get a KC Originals "frequent flier" card, since he does make it to KC from time to time. Server didn't seem familiar with the concept, disappeared to find out about them, returned with someone else's already-completed application. Removed one plate, seemed befuddled at the thought of removing both at once, left and returned again. Another server had dropped a tray of spent plates very loudly a few feet from our table earlier. You know, those things happen but it was one of those meals where they pretty much missed on all cylinders. I will go back, I just found it amusing when I saw your post that our experiences are like night and day at some of the places we've reported on. It makes me think we need a thread about comically bad experiences at otherwise-good places.

[joiei]

  It makes me think we need a thread about comically bad experiences at otherwise-good places. 

←

I like this idea for a thread. I had an experience at lunch with moonsqrl, but will go back. Maybe with ulterior epicure, Maybe? Anyway. I had a bad experience at a highly rated restaurant in another city. I will go back to because everyone tells me it was just not up to their normal service. and I will. I try to never rate a place on just one visit. That is unless it was just sooooo wrong.

All you kc eG's I will be in touch before returning up that way. I have to go to New Orleans first. Lare

Edited January 3, 2006 by joiei (log)

[moosnsqrl]

I like this idea for a thread.  I had an experience at lunch with moonsqrl, but will go back.  Maybe with ulterior epicure, Maybe?  Anyway.  I had a bad experience at a highly rated restaurant in another city.  I will go back to because everyone tells me it was just not up to their normal service.  and I will.  I try to never rate a place on just one visit.  That is unless it was just sooooo wrong. 

All you  kc eG's I will be in touch before returning up that way.  I have to go to New Orleans first.  Lare

OK, I'm going to try not to take offense - but I don't blame you. I'd go there with UE and definitely (if you're so inclined) the Frog with me, since each of us seems to be snake-bit and the other.

I have a story (which I am reluctant to even relate) about a rather-high-end Chicago place (begin's with T...which doesn't really narrow it down that much, in that town). If you lead, I will follow.

[ulterior epicure]

I have a story (which I am reluctant to even relate) about a rather-high-end Chicago place (begin's with T...which doesn't really narrow it down that much, in that town).  If you lead, I will follow. 

←

Naughty, naugty...

I'll bite - Is "T" followed by two (capitalized) letters?

I have my own story about an experience at "A."

Re: eating out - my anonymity is comfortably anonymous at this point - and besides, I'm leaving K.C. soon for a stint elsewhere - but not to fret, I'll be back within 6 months...

U.E.

[ulterior epicure]

We had lunch on a Saturday, joiei had a spinach salad (trying to save himself for a sushi-fest later) and I had housemade ravioli (supposed to be pumpkin w/sage butter but as that was unavailable, it was funghi in a cream sauce).  Salad was swimming in dressing, which is a pretty rookie error IMHO.  My pasta was pretty gummy/gluey the sauce cloyingly rich beyond redemptior (maybe it was meant to be thinned with wine or somthing at service but no one told the line cook?).  I ordered a glass of wine which hadn't yet arrived when the food did.

Over-dressed salads are inexcusable, IMHO as well. Unless I'm at a VERY reliable restaurant, I always ask for the dressing on the side. If they refuse, I don't order. Gummy/gluey pasta is unpleasant, to be sure, but not as bad, in my opinion, as undercooked pasta. What kind of sauce came with the pasta? Was it cream based? "Cloying" makes me think it was a sweet sauce, but I doubt that was the case - if so, then there was definitely a lot to be complaining about!

I will go back, I just found it amusing when I saw your post that our experiences are like night and day at some of the places we've reported on.  It makes me think we need a thread about comically bad experiences at otherwise-good places. 

←

I wonder, if we were to dine together, who the chef would choose to "please?" You or me? Seriously, we may just have different tastes... or different experiences... I have never tried C.S. at lunch, so perhaps it's a different wait staff/chef/line.

Cheers.

U.E.

[moosnsqrl]

I wonder, if we were to dine together, who the chef would choose to "please?"  You or me?    Seriously, we may just have different tastes... or different experiences... I have never tried C.S. at lunch, so perhaps it's a different wait staff/chef/line.

Cheers.

U.E.

←

I really think it's just a crap-shoot and on any given day, you can have the best or worst of experiences, since there are humans involved. I would rather take my chances going to local, independent places and have the occasional "miss" than go to a chain where the results are predictable but mediocre. I don't think it's about a chef (or server) trying to please or displease. As Forest Gump's famous tshirt said "s**t happens."

Enjoy Detroit and we'll see you in sunnier times.

[ulterior epicure]

I really think it's just a crap-shoot and on any given day, you can have the best or worst of experiences, since there are humans involved.  I would rather take my chances going to local, independent places and have the occasional "miss" than go to a chain where the results are predictable but mediocre.  I don't think it's about a chef (or server) trying to please or displease.  As Forest Gump's famous tshirt said "s**t happens."

amen! agreed!

Enjoy Detroit and we'll see you in sunnier times. 

←

thanks, it's no consolation for me... but i suppose detroit and environs have their unique foodie spots...

believe me, i can't wait to get back to kansas city. in the meantime, i might be making a brief trip abroad in february - but haven't decided if i should return to s. america or europe... or perhaps stay state-side and finally make a trip out to the french laundry... either way, the trip WILL involve food.

... i've got one more week here in k.c. - and i still have a lot of eating to do! hopefully will get a chance to stop by elbow's for some chocolate fun and perhaps one, or two more restos.

cheers - let's keep this dialogue going. don't think that my physical absence will mean a forum absence!!

cheers.

u.e.

[Katie Nell]

I rarely (and hesitate here) pass such definitive judgment on a restaurant based on only two visits.  But, when both visits are as spectacularly solid as my visits to Cafe Sebastienne at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, I happily give credit where I think it is due. 

I had dinner there this past weekend (they only serve dinners on Friday and Saturday; lunch on all weekdays).  Service was great and the food was simple, straightforward and very well prepared.  To this day, the rack of lamb i had on my first visit is the standard by which I judge all lamb rib chops - that's a mighty serious deal coming from one who's favorite cut of meat is the lamb chop!  

you can see my latest meal at flickr account.

cheers.

ulterior epicure.

←

UE, you and I must be on opposite biorhythmic dining cycles or something. My last visit there was pretty disappointing, both in terms of food and service. I felt particularly bad as I subjected another Society member (joiei, visiting from Tulsa) to a very lackluster meal and lamented throughout that we had diverted from the plan to return to Room 39.

It's funny that we seem to have 180-degree different experiences at the same places. I can't decide if we should try dining together or avoid one another at all cost. Either way it seems one of us would have a good meal and the other not-so-much.

←

I have to agree with you on this one. While I've only eaten at Cafe Sebastienne once, I was not wowed in the least. It was quite a while ago, so forgive me if my memory is foggy... I had a reuben sandwich and it came with a fruit salad. By the time, I got my sandwich, it was soaked with strawberry juice and was so soggy I had to eat with a fork, and I could barely eat it because it was so sweet! The fruit salad was fruit salad. My boyfriend had a seafood chowder of some sort and it was unbearably bland. Service was slow and inattentive... we never got a drink refill and my boyfriend, on all occasions, can consume pitchers of soda all by himself. Haven't been back, but I haven't completely written it off yet.

[ulterior epicure]

I have to agree with you on this one.  While I've only eaten at Cafe Sebastienne once, I was not wowed in the least.  It was quite a while ago, so forgive me if my memory is foggy... I had a reuben sandwich and it came with a fruit salad.  By the time, I got my sandwich, it was soaked with strawberry juice and was so soggy I had to eat with a fork, and I could barely eat it because it was so sweet!  The fruit salad was fruit salad.  My boyfriend had a seafood chowder of some sort and it was unbearably bland.  Service was slow and inattentive... we never got a drink refill and my boyfriend, on all occasions, can consume pitchers of soda all by himself.  Haven't been back, but I haven't completely written it off yet.

←

Yikes - well I'm sorry to hear that quite a few of you have had a bad go at C.S.... but I suspect from your description that you had lunch... hmmm, part of me is starting wonder if the dinner experience is vastly different from the daytime fare?

U.E.

[moosnsqrl]

Yikes - well I'm sorry to hear that quite a few of you have had a bad go at C.S....  but I suspect from your description that you had lunch... hmmm, part of me is starting wonder if the dinner experience is vastly different from the daytime fare?     

U.E.

←

Yes, I'm starting to see the writing on the wall myself but, given they only open 2 nights a week for dinner (at least I think that's still the case), it may take me a while to research this further.

[Katie Nell]

Yikes - well I'm sorry to hear that quite a few of you have had a bad go at C.S....  but I suspect from your description that you had lunch... hmmm, part of me is starting wonder if the dinner experience is vastly different from the daytime fare?      

U.E.

←

Yes, I'm starting to see the writing on the wall myself but, given they only open 2 nights a week for dinner (at least I think that's still the case), it may take me a while to research this further.

←

Yep, lunch it was! Perhaps we both should try again with dinner!

[joiei]

Is the chef around during lunch? If they aren't maybe that could be a contributing factor, if they are, then I don't know.

[JWest]

I've never actually been inside the Kemper Art Museum and nor have I been to Cafe Sebastienne. With that being said I still want to dine there even with the One Star review from KC Magazine. (This also brings another point, I think the magazine should have an Annual Restaurant Issue, if they don't already)

One thing I liked about Denver's 5280 Magazine did a Restaurant Issue about every 6 months and the one part about it would be a section on restaurants that need a kick in the butt. So all I could think is that hopefully the staff over there takes that as a motivation piece.. which in return hopefully makes my future experience better.

I definitely think this is what the City needs...and.. I know I've said this plenty of times before but with stricter ratings and reviews, it pushes people to strive for better. With people striving for better, the final product becomes better which is better for the consumer. When the consumers are getting better products, meaning dining experiences then their expectations get higher and that again pushes restaurants into striving for better. So instead of booing Cafe Sebastienne for a disappointing review, I'll go in and try it myself to see what G.E. Fellrath's definition of "good" means. Hopefully with the review, I'll be getting a better experience than s/he (not sure what the G.E. stands for) did.

Has anyone made a recent visit?

[mamagotcha]

Has anyone made a recent visit?

←

I went for Sunday Brunch when my sister was visiting at the end of September. I had heard wonderful things, but was quite underwhelmed. Reading the KC Magazine review, I believe the reviewer was fair.

The service was pretty much non-existent... we had to go searching for a server to get water and drink refills (on a very hot day). The food was so-so... not particularly memorable, nothing unforgiveable. The menu board did not reflect what was actually offered, and when this was pointed out, a server was incredulous until she saw it herself.

I'll try it again at least once, perhaps for dinner...

[JWest]

Has anyone made a recent visit?

←

I went for Sunday Brunch when my sister was visiting at the end of September. I had heard wonderful things, but was quite underwhelmed. Reading the KC Magazine review, I believe the reviewer was fair.

The service was pretty much non-existent... we had to go searching for a server to get water and drink refills (on a very hot day). The food was so-so... not particularly memorable, nothing unforgiveable. The menu board did not reflect what was actually offered, and when this was pointed out, a server was incredulous until she saw it herself.

I'll try it again at least once, perhaps for dinner...

←

I just went in and it seems like we are all having a similar experience. I do think I'll go in for dinner another time though. The service was ridiculously terrible but to be more specific, I have my thoughts on my experience on the blog.